Layfonsama!
by Yume no Yume
Summary: It's been 8 years since they've met - and they're about to meet again. Unexpectedly, of course. Imagine the hilarity of a girl trying to tell Layfon how she feels about him... without saying it outright. btw Eko is 19 & Layfon 23. Rated just in case!
1. Chapter 1

**Title: **Layfon-sama! - Heroic Lover

**Summary: **(See my profile) It's been 8 years since they've met - and they're about to meet again. Unexpectedly, of course. Imagine the hilarity of a girl trying to tell Layfon how she feels about him... without saying it outright. Is it possible...? No, probably not. Doesn't mean she doesn't still try, though. A continuation of "My Name is Eko-Chan!" Takes place after both that story, "This Ain't My Heaven's Blade, Brat", and "My Master" - please read those three before this one :) (btw, Eko is 19, and Layfon is 23 - just thought you'd want to know ;] )

**Notes: **This is the main story to a couple of the oneshots I made recently.

Here's a timeline (since a lot of you are probably confused... ^^;;). This is the order of the oneshots and stuff that come before my new story. Here ya go:

**First:** "My Name is Eko-Chan!"

**Second: **"This Ain't My Heaven's Blade, Brat"

**Third:** "My Master"

**Fourth:** "Layfon-Sama!" (main story)

Go read the other oneshots before this one – they're a sort of set up for this story.

Oh, and I don't get a lot of this stuff from just the Missing Mail manga – I get it from the other manga and the light novels as well... and the anime, now that I think about it.

Well, Enjoy! :)

"So? Why'd you turn down the guy this time, Eko-ch – I mean, Eko?" Melissa hurriedly corrected herself upon seeing the annoyed look on her friend's face. She breathed a sigh of relief when Eko smiled again.

"Because, for one thing, he's not my type, and for another thing, like I've told you before, I already have someone. I don't need anyone other than him," said Eko happily, her eyes going dreamy-like. She turned a corner, and...

"Oof!"

She bumped into someone, and fell backwards, before she was quickly grabbed by the hand and pulled up before she could hit the ground. She blinked, and looked down. Her stuff was all over the ground, having fallen out of her bag when she dropped it.

"Are you alright?"

_That voice.. _It couldn't be. It couldn't be! Could it...? Slowly, she looked up, and...

"Layfon...?"

"Eh? Eko-chan?"

"Layfon! It is you! Hey, hey, what are you doing here? You never told me you were coming here! You should have said something!" Eko pouted a bit, before smiling really wide up at him. She noticed that he looked different – really different. He had cut his hair, so it was much shorter than how she remembered it. He was also taller, and his face was slightly longer, making it look more mature, grown-up like... but what she really noticed was the tattoo on his face. It made him look so cool...

His voice brought her back to reality. "Um, Eko-chan...? Shouldn't we pick your things up first...?"

She blinked, and looked down. "Oh. You're right."

She bent down and picked up her stuff and started putting it in her bag. She looked over to see that Layfon was helping her. She smiled to herself. They quickly managed to pick it all up, and Eko put it all into her bag.

"Hey, um, Eko... Who is this person?" Melissa's voice came from her other side, and Eko suddenly remembered that her friend was there.

"Oh, sorry, sorry – Melissa, this is Layfon-sama! And Layfon-sama, this is Melissa – she's a friend of mine from school," Eko introduced. Melissa raised her eyebrow at the title that Eko gave to this man she had never seen before.

Layfon merely looked amused. "Layfon... sama, is it?"

"Yup! Layfon-sama!" Eko proclaimed proudly. Layfon smiled, his eyes dancing in laughter. Melissa caught her breath on seeing those eyes – they were so expressive... just who on earth was this man? And what exactly was he to Eko...?

"So, Layfon-sama – what are you doing here? I didn't know you were coming to Laiten at all..." Eko pouted a bit at not being told by Layfon that he was coming there.

Layfon laughed a bit. "I didn't know myself, Eko – I'm just sort of passing through. My roaming bus came here while I was wandering around a bit – I didn't expect to meet Eko-chan here, though. Can't say I'm disappointed, though – it's good to see you again," Layfon said, smiling warmly. Eko's eyes sparkled.

"How long are you going to stay here?" Eko asked. Melissa watched the two of them with raised eyebrows. _What is up with this? They've completely forgotten I'm here!_

"How about we talk about this over some ice cream? There's a place that sells it that I passed by just a little while ago... Nee, Melissa-san, would you like to come? It's my treat," Layfon turned to the girl, surprising her.

Without thinking, she shook her head. "Sorry – I've got to get home. I have a lot to do today."

"I see – well, do you want any, Eko-chan?"

"Yes!"

"Okay then! Bye Melissa-san – be careful on your way home, please." Layfon bowed to her, and gave her a somewhat apologetic smile – _probably for not being able to walk me home, or something, _Melissa thought – before he was suddenly pulled along (without much resistance) after Eko, who was talking excitedly. Just before she turned, she saw Layfon wave at her. She wave back, and started walking home.

She was deep in thought when she opened the door to her house, and her mind was focused on just one thing – _just who was that man?_

-x-x-

"Well, Eko-chan – I suppose I'll see you later?"

Layfon stood beside Eko in front of the girl's house. Just before Eko could answer, however, the door to the house opened, and a woman walked out. She glanced over at Layfon suspiciously, before asking Eko, "Eko, who is this young man?"

"Oh, hey Mom! This is my mother, Layfon-sama – Mom, this person is Layfon. Remember when I was kidnapped that one time? He was the one who found me, and took care of me," Eko said cheerfully. Her mother's eyes widened, and she quickly turned to look Layfon up and down – before she bowed deeply.

"I beg your pardon for being suspicious – I had no idea that you were my little girl's savior."

"Please, don't worry about it – it's only natural after what happened to her for you to be protective, right? And, well, I suppose anybody, especially someone who looks like me, who showed up at your house with your daughter should be suspected of being someone dangerous..." Layfon waved her apologies off, smiling in apology himself, and bowing to the lady as well.

The woman looked surprised, before she smiled. "Well, would you like to come inside? I can make a cup of tea."

"Well, I don't want to intrude or anything..."

"Oh no – it's the least I can do for the person whose responsible for bringing our daughter back to us." She beckoned him in, and so he walked after her, taking his shoes off at the door.

"Pardon the intrusion," he said quietly. The woman smiled, and showed him to what was obviously the living room.

"Please, sit wherever you like – I'll go make some tea. Oh! That reminds me – I have some biscuits cooking. Would you like some?"

"If it's not too much trouble, then yes, thank you." Layfon sat down in the middle of a couch opposite the door – only to have Eko sit down next to him, forcing him to scoot over, so she could sit down comfortably.

A few minutes later, the woman came in with a tray holding the tea, cups, and a plate of biscuits fresh from the oven, with a knife and butter and jam beside it. She set it down, and was just about to sit down herself, when a man came in.

The man was big, but not heavy. He had a bit of a goatee, and walked with purpose. He was wearing casual clothes, and no shoes. He looked a little bit like Eko, actually.

He immediately noticed Layfon, and his mouth twisted into a slight frown as his eyebrows furrowed together. He glanced at his wife, and asked, "Who is this young lad, Lukia?"

"This is Layfon..." She glanced over at him, not knowing what his last name was.

"Alseif, ma'am. My name is Layfon Alseif." Layfon smiled a bit. She smiled back, before returning to her husband.

"This is Layfon Alseif – he is the one who took care of our daughter when she was kidnapped, and who sent her back to us, safe and sound." The man raised his eyebrows, before looking at Layfon again. After a couple of moments, he bowed to Layfon.

"I thank you from the bottom of my heart for bringing our little girl back to us. Truly, thank you," the man said.

Layfon set his tea and biscuit down carefully, before getting back up and bowing deeply to the man himself – deeper than the man bowed to him.

"Your welcome – really, it was nothing, so there's no reason to bow to someone like me. Thank you both, however, for the warm welcome – it's been a long time since I've been welcomed into a house with such hospitality. Really, thank you." Layfon bowed again. He waited for the man, Eko's father, to sit down, before returning to his seat himself.

"Don't mention it, Alseif-san," the mother said, smiling at Layfon's politeness.

"Layfon is fine – that's what everyone else calls me, after all," Layfon said, with a slight chuckle and a smile.

"Very well, Layfon-san," the woman said. "By the way, what are you doing here in the Regios City Laiten?"

"Well, actually –" Layfon began...

...Only to be cut off by Eko, who proclaimed excitedly, "He's been traveling around on his personal roaming bus, and happened to come here – he says he's just passing through." Eko grinned, before she realized what she did, and looked down in embarrassment.

Suddenly, she heard quiet laughter. She looked up in confusion, and saw Layfon quietly chuckling behind his hand. She looked at him in surprise and slight confusion.

"I beg your pardon – it's been so long since someone treated me so familiarly that I'm not used to it anymore. Don't worry about it, Eko-chan – you're not the only one who does that kind of thing to me," Layfon said with mirth. He looked at Eko with a smile, before noticing the somewhat surprised but happy expressions on the faces of Eko's parents. He picked up his tea and took a sip, to hide is sudden self-consciousness.

He finished the tea, and slowly stood up. "Thank you for your hospitality, once again, but unfortunately, I've got to get going – I have to get my dite as well as myself registered with the City Police, so I don't get arrested for holding illegal weapons, or anything," Layfon said, bowing to everyone.

The mother smiled and stood up. She beckoned Layfon to follow, and showed him to the door. Layfon put his shoes back on, and walked out, pausing at the gate to bow to the lady once again, and wave. "Please tell Eko-chan that I'll see her later!" He called out, before walking away.

The lady smiled, and closed the door. She walked back to the living room, and sat back down next to her husband. Eko had apparently gone back to her room, so the both of them were free to talk.

"That man... he really was very polite. And not only that, but there was something about him that just gave me the feeling that said "this person is trustworthy – no doubt"... " The man took a sip of his tea, contemplating.

"So he gave you that feeling too? He really was such a dear... so polite, and so very sweet. He did look a little rough, which was what initially put me on guard, but when I looked closer, he was a very handsome young man," the woman said, spreading butter and jam on a biscuit.

"I trust that man – I hope that he will continue to look after our Eko while he's here...

"I agree... I hope that he and Eko see each other more often... after all, she's seems quite taken with him," the lady said in amusement. She was joking, obviously – while it was true that she could tell that Eko was quite taken with the young lad, she questioned whether or not it was for _that _kind of relationship.

"Yes... let's hope this isn't the last time we see him...it'd be good if we could get him to walk her home from now on..."

"That's true," the woman said. "Then we don't have to worry about it anymore." She smiled at her husband and together, they both headed upstairs to their room.

+-|End of Chapter – Author's Note|-+

Well, that's that. The End – for this chapter, at least.

Oh, just for some of the people who are maybe confused or something, Eko is 19, and Layfon is 23 – and it's been 8 years since they last met.

Here, a timeline.

Layfon goes to Zuellni - Layfon meets and takes care of Eko

_6 years later_

Layfon graduates from Zuellni and head back to Grendan - Layfon starts traveling between cities

_2 years later_

Layfon comes to Eko's City - Layfon and Eko meet again

There's that! Oh, and Eko isn't an OC – if you read the Chrome Shelled Regios manga (not Missing Mail, this one's centered more on Nina), you'll see that Nina picks up a little girl that looks like Zuellni, and well... go read "My Name is Eko-chan!" to find out what happened in my version.

Otherwise, just go read the manga. It's on

Oh! One last thing!

I drew a picture (very bad and very vague-ish – use your imagination!) of what Layfon looks like now – it's here (remove spaces for link):

_http:/ s46. photobucket. com /albums / f102 / karupin163 / ?action=view¤t;=Picture .jpg_

If someone can draw better than that, and is willing to draw Layfon with short hair and Haia's tattoo on his right eye, than I'd much appreciate the link for it! :)


	2. Chapter 2

Layfon-sama – Chapter 2

Well, it's another chapter! I'm pretty obsessed with this one right now – it's because I've sort of lost the trail for my other two stories (Chrome Breaker and A New Kind of Threat), so for right now, until I've gotten this story REALLY going, I'm going to be focusing on it. After that, I'll take a look at my other two stories and see if I can't figure out what to do with them (or, by some miracle, remember what I wanted to do with in the first place).

If I can't figure out a decent plot for them, though (or remember the old one), then I'm going to put them BOTH up for adoption.

B/C, you see, unlike this story, I didn't plan those out on paper – it was all in my head... a very bad mistake on my part. And the fact that my PC was taken away for practically the entire summer didn't help... no, actually, that just made it worse, since I write these stories on my laptop.

Well, hopefully it will all work out.

Enjoy the next chapter of "Layfon-sama"!

Oh, and one last thing: don't forget to read the author's note at the end! A VERY important announcement (which will also be on my profile, will be put there for you to read – you need to read it!

b/c I don't want to be bombarded with flames, no matter how funny they are... I get too much e-mail as is...

Key:

_Bleh! I hate veggies! _– Thoughts

Bleh! I don't care if my mom does say to eat it! – Normal text

"As if I care! Grrr!" - Speech

+-|_**Chapter Two**_|-+

"Hey Eko – that guy we bumped into yesterday... what is he to you?" Melissa asked. School was over and everyone was heading for the doors, talking to their friends, etc., etc.

Eko said, walking out the doors herself, "He's the guy I'm always telling you about – because he's here, I don't need any other boy..." Eko paused, seeing a crowd (mostly of girls) gathering at the school gates. She squinted, and, upon seeing a familiar figure in the middle of it...

"Layfon-sama!" she cried out. The figure looked up and waved at her as she ran up to him.

She glomped him, putting her arms around his neck, and heard him say, "Hey, Eko-chan – you seem to be doing well." She looked up and saw him smiling at her.

Blushing, she looked away, hugging him tighter instead. Layfon raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything.

The others in the crowd were whispering to each other.

"Hey, isn't that Eko Laiten?"

"No way – seriously? THE Eko Laiten – the Girl Who Turned Down a 1000 Boys?"

"Yeah, that's her alright – what's she doing with that guy?"

"Who IS that guy?"

"Hey, look at his waist – are those dites?"

"They are! So he's a military artist? She called him Layfon..."

"You mean he's THAT Layfon? Layfon Alseif, Filth Monster Assassin?"

"Kyaa! I want his autograph!"

Upon hearing people say this, Layfon quickly glanced down at Eko, and, seeing that she wasn't moving, sighed.

_No choice, then, _he thought. Quickly but carefully, he picked Eko up, bridle-style, just as people were walking towards them, and jumped over the school's outer wall (which was roughly 2 meters high), before taking off as fast as he could towards Eko's house. After a couple of minutes, he slowed to a stop, and put Eko down.

She still had a look of surprise on her face, and her cheeks were flushed, but otherwise she was fine. Dusting herself off, she glanced at him, before turning away, blushing furiously. "So... what was that about?" she asked, still not looking at him.

Layfon scratched his neck absentmindedly while he tried to think of an answer that would satisfy her. "Well, since you didn't seem to be willing to let go of me in time, and since most of the people in that crowd were about to swarm on us, I just, sort of... took matters into my own hands? Sorry if this will become troublesome for you. I just don't particularly like giving out autographs, to be honest... and most people have a tendency to want one when they learn who I am..."

"What, you mean those stories about you traveling around trying to kill off Filth Monsters were true?" Eko asked in surprise. She finally turned around to look at him.

"Somewhat – and somewhat not. It's true that I've been traveling around, and it's true that I've been killing _quite _a number of Filth Monsters in that time, but I haven't been traveling around _to _kill Filth Monsters – I've just been killing them because they were being a bother. So all those stories about my expeditions to search for and kill those monsters are basically... not true." Layfon laughed in embarrassment.

But Eko didn't mind – she didn't mind at all, in fact. "That's fine. I don't mind – either way, you're still a hero, right?"

"I suppose, albeit, an unintentional one... It's quite a bother to be so well known, that every new Regios you go to, all of the females know who you are..."

"I can see why that would be annoying," Eko said, sympathetically. Inside though, she thought to herself, _all the females know who you are, huh? That's too bad..._She silently seethed for a couple of moments, before letting the matter go. Deciding to change the topic (because Layfon was looking uncomfortable talking about it), she said, "By the way, why were you waiting there?"

"I was waiting to pick you up," Layfon said – he seemed completely unashamed of what he said. Like he didn't realize that most people don't say such things...

Eko blushed, but continued anyway. "Why were you going to pick me up?"

"Umm... well, you're parents did ask me to do it for them, but... well, I find it enjoyable to talk to you, so... that's really the main reason." Layfon said. _It's because you remind me of Leerin..._ He gestured for them to start walking, and so she walked beside him, letting her footsteps fall in with his.

"Hmm... thanks for the compliment." They enjoyed a comfortable silence until they reached her house.

The mother, Mrs. Laiten, opened the door with a smile, and invited Layfon in for some tea and biscuits again. "I'm sorry, ma'am, but I have to get my other dite registered – I couldn't do it yesterday because apparently they only let you register one dite per day – that, and I also registered my citizenship here, so they told me that I had to come back today to get my other dite registered. I apologize, but I'm really grateful for you hospitality. You really do make great tea, you know," Layfon bowed, and gave the woman a smile. She blushed a bit at the compliment, but smiled anyway, and nodded in understanding.

"Alright then – good day, Layfon-san," she said with smile.

"Good day to you as well, ma'am, and please tell your husband that I appreciate his kindness yesterday. I'll see you later, Eko-chan," Layfon said, and waved goodbye as he walked away.

Mrs. Laiten waved back, before glancing at her daughter – and noticing, with a slight grin, the dreamy-eyed look on her face as the girl stared after Layfon. Walking inside with Eko, Mrs. Laiten thought about her daughter's and Layfon's relationship.

_She quite obviously wants to be with him, but he seems somewhat oblivious to the fact. Oh no, _she thought with a wry grin. _Don't tell me he's one of _those _types – the ones who can't figure out people's feelings towards them to save their lives. Eko, my dear, you have a long road ahead of you, honey – a very long road indeed... _Laughing to herself at her daughter's unfortunate choice in men (not that Layfon was a jerk or anything – far from it, he was just emotionally dense is all), she went into the kitchen to take the tea kettle off the stove. She poured herself a cup and drank it slowly, looking out the window as she stared off, still considering her daughter's predicament with amusement.

-x-x-

"Hello, I'm here to register my dite – I registered one yesterday, but I have another one as well, so, I came to register it." The man Layfon spoke to looked up from what he was doing, and gave Layfon a once over. He then shuffled through some papers, and, pulling a couple of them out, he pushed up his glasses, and looked at them.

"You are Layfon Alseif, correct?"

"Yes, I am."

"So, you wish to register a second dite?"

"Yes."

"Very well, hand it over and I'll run it through the scanner. Shouldn't take more than a few seconds," the man said, and put Layfon's dite in a device beside him, closed the top over it, pressed a few buttons, and waited several seconds. He then took it back out, and handed it over to Layfon.

"That's it?"

"That's it."

"I see – well, thank you for taking some of your time to do this."

"Don't worry about it, kid – it's my job. That's all."

"Nonetheless, thank you anyways." And with that, Layfon left, headed for his temporary apartment.

"What a polite young lad..." the man muttered to himself, smiling as he went back to work.

Sometimes, it was only the little things that got you through the day.

-x-x-

It had been two weeks since Layfon had first come to the Regios City Liten.

Said man leaned against the school's outer wall, wishing that Eko's school day would hurry up and be over already – he had a meeting with the other members of the Mercenary Gang, something about one of them having seen Haia...

_I might have to bring Eko with me, _thought Layfon worriedly. He glanced down at his watch. _20 more minutes..._

With a sigh, he picked up his cell phone and dialed Eko's home number. After two rings, Mrs. Laiten picked up.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Mrs. Laiten."

"Ah, hello Layfon-san. Do you need something?"

"Yes, actually – I was wondering if I could bring Eko with me to a meeting I have in about 30 minutes..."

"Oh? Why?"

"Because I'd feel more comfortable knowing that she's okay then just hoping she is – and, unfortunately I can't be late to this meeting...

"I see," said Mrs. Laiten kindly – she was smiling to herself as she listened to what Layfon said. "Well, I don't see any problem with you doing that, so long as she comes home before curfew."

"I'll make sure she does."

"Alright then, take care, Layfon-san."

"You too, Mrs. Laiten." He hung up the phone, now feeling less worried and waited for the remaining 15 minutes of school for Eko.

-x-x-

"So, where are we going, Layfon?"

"Well, I have a meeting with the other members of the Mercenary Gang, and since I can't be late for it, I asked your mother if I could bring you along. Since she said yes, that's where we're going," Layfon said to her. Eko blinked a bit in confusion, wondering what was so important about this meeting. Finally, she decided to just ask about the meeting.

"What's so important about this meeting, that you can't be a little late for it?"

"Well... several years ago, before I joined the Mercenary Gang, I had a battle with the leader of the Gang – I defeated him, and afterwards, he disappeared, having been taken off the list of members of the Gang... I've been looking for him for a while now, ever since I joined, and it seems one of the members might have spotted him... I'm going to the meeting to hear about it, and I can't be late, since I was the one who called for it, you see."

"Oh. I see." She didn't really get most of it, but she understood that he couldn't be late since he was the one who called for it... She also noticed that he looked a bit different today... he was wearing a green cloak, and he had several piercings in his right ear that she had never seen there before. She asked him about it.

"Oh, this? The Salinvan Guidance Mercenary Gang has a sort of... uniform, I suppose you would call it, and considering I'm the leader, it'd be somewhat wrong of me to go to a meeting with the others and not wear my uniform. Though mine is a bit different..."

"In what way?"

"You'll see soon enough."

_Well, whatever. At least this means I get to spend more time with him than I normally do today! _She thought happily. She wondered, however, _What will this meeting be like? I hope it isn't too long... Most meetings are boring... bleh, I hope I can spend some personal time with him after this..._

While she was thinking, they had apparently reached their destination – it was at the edge of the Regios, and there were several roaming buses lined up side-by-side. There were people wearing green cloaks like the one Layfon was wearing today... They were walking around, talking to each other, and there seemed to be quite a few of them gathering around a table that had been set outside one of the buses.

As she and Layfon got closer, she noticed some differences in the uniform Layfon was wearing and the one the others were wearing. While the others had just a plain green cloak with gold trimming, Layfon had gold, black, and silver trimming... not only that, but his cloak was styled a bit differently... it was long, going down to his ankles, and had a half-cape around the shoulders, but the difference lay in the fact that Layfon's was longer – both the half-cape part, and the rest of it. The other's capes went down to about mid-shin.

_So that's what he meant when he said that his was different..._

Eko followed Layfon as he went up to talk to one of the members (this person was wearing an iron mask on his face, she noticed), and waited while he conversed quietly with the man. Layfon came back, and told her, "It's up to you if you want to listen to the meeting with me, or wait for me in one of the roaming buses – which one do you want to do?"

"I want... to listen to the meeting with you, since sitting in one of those buses seems somewhat boring in comparison."

"I see," Layfon said with a smile. He gestured to the man with the mask, who nodded, and then turned to her again. "Here, come with me – Fermaus is getting a seat ready for you. Fermaus is the one I was talking to earlier."

"You mean the one with the mask?"

"Yeah." Layfon then walked over to the table, sat down, and said. "Let's get this meeting going, people. Eko, here – sit. This might take a while..." Eko sat down on the chair next to him, and watched the proceedings quietly.

Layfon gave her a quick smile, and then turned to one of the members, who had stepped forward. Layfon asked him, "You're the one who saw Haia, correct?"

"Hai, Layfon-shirei," the man said. "Please, call me Kalen, Shirei."

"Alright – I'd appreciate it if you could tell us, in as much detail as possible, what happened – mostly what they were doing, what you were doing, what they looked like, and what happened after you first saw them. Can you do that, please?" Layfon did his best to be polite, despite being somewhat impatient. _I've been waiting for so long, trying to find him... finally, he's here... so close, and yet so far as well. _Layfon thought.

"Well, I was sent to go get some groceries by Fermaus-shushou, and as I was making my way back, I saw him... I believe it was on Shiten Street. He was with the girl, Myunfa, and they were walking somewhere, obviously with a destination in mind, considering how purposefully they were walking. I started to follow them, but I lost them on –"

_This is so boring, _Eko thought in annoyance.

" –lost them on Nasha Street, which was a few blocks over. Haia-san was wearing a plain, brown traveling cloak, and had a black belt with a dite in it around his waist. Myunfa-san had her hair up in a bun with braids, and also had a dite around her waist, in a green belt. She was wearing a brown cloak like Haia-san's, and also had a long-sleeve, white shirt on... I don't know what they were doing, which was why I followed them, but..."

"Thank you, Kalen-san, that's plenty of information to start searching for them. You've been a great help," Layfon said, smiling gratefully at the man. He turned to Fermaus. "Was there anything else you wanted to discuss at this meeting, Shusou?" He smiled in amusement as Fermaus squirmed a bit at having someone of higher rank call him that.

"No, that was all. Your orders, Shirei?"

"Hmm... Fermaus, I'd appreciate it if you could try to see where they headed when Kalen saw them. Kalen – could you ask around, and find out where they're staying?"

"Hai, Shirei!" Everyone dispersed, Fermaus and Kalen moving away to do as they were asked. Eko looked up at Layfon, who was seemingly breathing a sigh of – relief? Or exhaustion? – much to her surprise.

"Are you okay, Layfon?"

"Uh? Oh, yeah, I am – don't worry, Eko-chan, it's just that being the leader of The Salinvan Guidance Mercenary Gang is hard work..."

"I see."

"Well, shall I take you home now? It's getting darker – and I have to get you home before curfew... which means that," Layfon said, standing up with Eko. He turned to her, with a smile, and said, "Beg your pardon, Eko-chan, but this is the fastest way to get you home." As he said this, he picked Eko up, bridle-style, and, despite her embarrassment, ran her all the way home. He really was a quite dense – he didn't seem to realize how embarrassing what he did was...

And you'd have to kill Eko before you got her to admit that she somewhat liked it...

-x-x-

"You say that like you expect me to openly agree about it with you..." Layfon said to Eko in slight amusement.

They were walking to her home again, coming back from school. They had been talking about the meeting that had gone on between Layfon and the other members of the Mercenary Gang the other day... and Eko had just told Layfon that he was charismatic, cool, and _hot _(that's right, ladies and gents, she told him outright that he was hot).

"Hmm... I guess you're right. Why? Do you disagree with it?" she challenged, looking at him with her eyebrow raised.

Layfon stared back, undaunted, and told her, "I'm not going to answer that..."

"Aww, why not?" she pouted. He smiled at her, amused at her antics.

"But, I honestly really do think that you're charismatic and cool, Layfon – if nothing else, you make a great leader," Eko said thoughtfully after several moments.

"Hmm... is that so..."

"Yes, it is! And you're being really vague right now, you know!"

"Sorry, I was thinking about – "

At that moment, they turned a corner, and Layfon caught sight of a familiar figure.

"H-Haia?"

+-|_**Author's Note**_|-+

Yay, a cliffy! I know, I'm evil – what can I say?

In any event, I hope you enjoyed that!

Oh, and just so you know, I'd suggest going back and reading the first chapter again – I didn't make any really major changes, but I made it easier to understand, and the changes are big enough to warrant some re-reading. If you must know, I mostly made the changes towards the end of the chapter.

Someone really nice (I mean it! She helped a lot!) mentioned that I might have been pushing the relationship between Eko and Layfon too much... I went back and fixed that somewhat. Now it's mostly just Eko being a bit of an otaku for Layfon... poor guy. XD

Yeah, so that's that – next!

Okay, so here's the deal (about the important announcement I mentioned before):

1) **I will not be updating during the school year. **Yes, it's pitiful, it's scornful, it's pretty damn stupid that I have to do this – but if I don't, I might not even HAVE a computer next year, either for the summer or otherwise. So far, my grades have managed to scrape by... but if I keep doing what I'm doing, they won't be scraping by anymore. Stupid B+ average... In any event, I will only be updating during Winte r, Spring, and Summer Vacation – and if you're lucky, on some of the holidays too. But that depends on whether I get homework on the holidays... :( I hate high school already – and I haven't even experienced it yet...

Anyway, moving on...

2) **I will be updating this story daily for AT LEAST a week** – that's right, ladies and gents, you get one week of daily updates for this story. Why, you ask? It's because I'm a nice person – who is doing it for you all to make up for the announcement stated above. I may be blunt, I may be critical, I may be a lot of things that people don't all necessarily like, but even so, I am still a nice person. Just not always a sympathetic or empathetic one... In any event, I will be updating daily for a week at the very least, and, if you're lucky (I said if you're LUCKY, people), maybe for a little longer – maybe even until the day school starts... (and I'll say it again – if you're _lucky_, I'll do it... not otherwise.)

Those were the two big ones. Now, onto lesser ones... that I still want you to read. =_=

A) **Please read the oneshot preludes that are for this story** – If you start feeling lost while reading this story (or if you feel lost right now), go read those oneshots. In reading order, they are: "My Name is Eko-chan!", "This Ain't My Heaven's Blade, Brat", and "My Master". Got it? Good. Now go read them.

B) **If you can, take a look at my other works** – I have some other works (not very many), both oneshots and chapter stories included, that I'd like you're opinion on... or at the very least, I'd like someone to read them. If a bunch of people read and/or review some of my chapter stories, and say good things about them, I might be more inclined to try a bit harder to pick up where I left off on them... ;]

C) Last, but certainly not least... **Review. Review this Story...**.. or it might become... *gasp* *fake horror*... like the others. O.o

If you don't got a problem with that, though, don't bother. *says flippantly* It's all good. *sarcasm* xD

That's the end of my Author's Note, so...

Cheers, I suppose, and I'll see you next chapter! ;]

- Yume-ka ;) (b/c every person has an evil side...)


	3. Chapter 3

I'll skip the Author's note up here, and go straight to the story. :)

+-|Chapter 3|-+

"H-Haia?"

The familiar figure looked up suddenly at Layfon's voice, and turned around. Layfon saw Haia's face for the first time in 8 years...

The face was longer, making him look older, more mature. His hair had grown out a bit, and the look around his eyes told Layfon that he was tired. Very tired. Haia looked at Layfon in surprise, before he smirked at him, and said, "Hey, Myunfa, look – it's Layfon."

The figure beside him, whom Layfon hadn't noticed till now (he was too busy looking at Haia), turned around, and Layfon saw the girl's face had undergone the same changes as Haia's. There was a blush across her cheeks, though that was fairly normal for the shy girl. She smiled timidly at Layfon, who smiled back.

Layfon turned back to Haia. "Where have you been all this time? I've been looking for you..."

Haia blinked, before he grinned. "It seems that great Artists think alike – I was looking for you as well."

"Why?"

"Because I wanted to ask you something... but that can be saved for later. Why were you looking for me?"

"Because I wanted to invite you back to the Salinvan Mercenary Gang." Layfon noticed Haia's shocked look, and he smiled. " 'It isn't the same around here without Haia and his girlfriend' – that's what everyone's been telling me, but I have my own reasons for wanting you to come back."

"Which are?"

"We need someone who is as strong as you – someone who was able to match swords with me, someone who knows how to command those who are under him..."

"Why do you need someone like that?"

"Because I need someone who can lead the Mercenary Gang in my place, should I ever be unable to do so myself."

Silence. Layfon prayed that Haia, if nothing else, wouldn't say "no" automatically. _Please, don't just say no, don't say no - Haia!_

"...I'll think about it." Layfon breathed a sigh of relief. "But give me some time – I need to think things through..."

"How long do you want?"

"...a week. I'll give you my answer a week from today."

"Very well. I look forward to talking with you again soon, Haia."

Eko watched as the two men walked calmly past each other, wondering, _Why does Layfon look so happy? He looks like he just saw... a long-lost friend..._

Eko was broken out of her thoughts by Layfon's voice. "Eko-chan – are you coming?" Layfon had turned to look at her, and she shook her head and hurried after him. Falling into step beside him, she glanced sideways at his face. _His face... it looks so calm. Like some burden had been taken off his shoulders, or something..._

"Hey, Layfon?"

"Yes, Eko-chan?"

"Who is that Haia person to you?"

"He's... a very important friend of mine. Though," Layfon continued with a chuckle. "I doubt that he would agree with me saying that..."

"...If you say so, Layfon."

"Oh, that's right, Eko-chan," Layfon said suddenly. He paused and turned to her with a small smile. "I've been meaning to ask – whatever happened to 'Layfon-sama'? I thought that that's what you were going to call me from now on..."

"Well, I was, but, well, it's so difficult to say, so I've been trying to come up with a different one..."

"How about Lay-ton?"

"Lay-ton?"

"Yeah... some friends of mine used to call me that back at Zuellni."

"Lay-ton... Lay-ton..." Eko said, trying the name out. She smiled then. "Yeah, that works – then, Lay-ton it is!"

Layfon laughed a bit as Eko punched her hand in the air in triumph. They reached her house, and Layfon absently looked at his watch. "Well, I'll see you later Eko-chan."

"Yeah, see you."

Layfon waited until Eko had walked into the house before turning to walk away, thinking. For some reason he was reminiscing about the past two years of traveling that he'd done. Between fighting Filth Monsters, traveling between cities, and having Alsheyra-sama insist that he come back once every 6 months (which meant he only got to see one Regios city usually before he was forced to head back), his life had become quite hectic...

_And then I realized my feelings for Leerin on top of everything else..._ He thought in sardonic amusement. _Well, I'm home..._ He had reached his apartment that he was staying at (since the roaming buses were too cramped for him to feel comfortable), and, without really thinking about what he was doing, he pulled up a chair and sat down at his desk, taking out a diary and opening it. Getting out a pen, he thought for a moment, before shrugging, thinking, _I'm not going to go into detail about this – only one important thing happened anyway._

_05/09/3027 – _Liten City

_I met Haia while walking Eko-chan home. I told him that I wanted to have him back in the Gang, and he said he'll think about it – I'm just glad he didn't just say "no". He said he had been looking for me, as well, saying he wanted to ask me something... I wonder what he needs to ask me?_

Sitting up and stretching his arms, he walked over to his dresser and got ready for bed. The moment he flopped down on the mattress, he instantly fell into a false sleep.

+-|Author's Note|-+

Yeah, I know – it's shorter than usual, isn't it?

But the problem is that the next thing that I have in mind that's going to happen will have a lot of action, and since it's my first time writing a REAL action scene, without skipping over (hopefully) some important details during the fight, it's a) probably going to take me a while, and b) will probably take up most of the chapter as well (unless I decide to make it REALLY long, or something) – let's all pray for Yume-ka's success at writing her very first action scene! *crosses fingers* Yeah, I don't have much confidence. :P

Yeah, moving on, a quick note:

About my promise to update daily for this week (I'm not going back on it, I swear), I have just one thing to say: If I don't update on one day, be prepared for TWO updates the next day to make up for it.

There, I said it.

And, no, I will not be explaining this again – far, far too lazy, people. :P


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 – enjoy! PS - I wasn't able to make the action scene very long without it being boring, since the actual fight didn't really have any significance other than getting a result for... well you'll see. So I made it somewhat quick and short. To make up for that, I combined both chapter 4 and what was supposed to be chapter 5 together to make one super long entry! :) (I was aiming for 3000 words or more... only managed to get 2,675, thought - still, that's pretty close, all things considered.)

As for not updating yesterday... I couldn't get onto the internet, and my comp decided it didn't like me anymore and totally threw a temper tantrum (Word wouldn't respond, it was being really slow... I couldn't do anything.) So I wasn't able to make two seperate chapters today like I promised I would if I missed a day. So that means that I had to combine two chapters, which is what I did here. Originally, the fight with Haia and the talk Layfon had with Eko was going to be one, and the rest of it was going to be another (actually, there are some scenes that I cut, and I also shortened this quite a bit from what I had in mind at first).

Anyways, you get two chapters, regardless of whether they're separate or not, so I think you should be satisfied (geeze, my hands hurt from typing...)

In any event, enjoy the chapter[s]!

+-|Chappie 4|-+

_**Clash! **_

_**BANG! **_

_**Slash, cut, slice!**_

Layfon jumped back, panting, his shoulder and chest bleeding from two shallow wounds. He looked at Haia and saw that he wasn't much better off – the wound on his chest was deeper than Layfon's, but at the moment, he didn't seem to feel it.

"Is that all you got, Volfstein? You've gotten rusty," Haia said with a smirk. Layfon grinned warily back.

"Don't insult me, Haia," Layfon said. "If I've gotten rusty, then you've completely lost your touch!" They went at each other again, their katanas slicing through the air as they cut towards one another – **BANG! **– they leapt apart again, only to jump straight back.

Layfon grinned, somewhat enjoying this new, refreshing challenge – he thought back to how this fight had begun in the first place...

_Flashback!_

"_Layfon."_

_Layfon looked up to see Haia standing several feet behind him, Myunfa standing behind Haia. He had already sensed Haia coming, but had waited until Haia was ready to be acknowledged._

_It had been one week since Layfon's and Haia's first talk – the deadline had arrived, which was why Haia was here in the first place._

"_Haia – have you decided?"_

"_...No, I haven't. However, I came because I had a proposition..."_

"_...What is it?"_

"_Since I can't decide for myself what I want to do... I thought that maybe our blades should choose for us."_

"_Are you challenging me again, Haia?" Layfon's battle spirit, which he had acquired in very recent years from being around the members of the Mercenary Gang, reared its head, and he smirked a bit._

"_That depends on whether or not you consider what I'm about to say a challenge," Haia replied with a grin. He drew his blade, swung it around a bit, before pointing it at Layfon, who stood his ground. "Fight me, Volfstein – if you can beat me, with just your katana, then I will agree to come back to the Mercenary Gang. That means no Kei techniques, either."_

"_You really..." Layfon said in amusement. "That's fine – but I won't hold back this time, so you better not either."_

"_Of course."_

"_Shall we do it now?"_

"_Sure – here?"_

"_No – over there. It's more open, since the roaming buses aren't there."_

"_Let's go." They both walked, side-by-side, a little ways away, stood facing each other, drew their blades, and..._

_Flashback! End_

_Really, Haia... it's been so long since I've had a serious challenge like this – to think, you've gotten this strong so quickly...! _

They were both enjoying themselves... they could sense it, the excitement the other one was feeling. They were at each other's throats again, slash slash, clang, slice! They jumped apart, jumped towards each other again...

When they broke apart again, it was for the last time. With a quick look at each other, they silently decided – the next attack would finish it.

They both prepared themselves, before bending their knees, and...

It lasted for only a mere instant. The moment their blades met... nobody was able to see what happened, it was too fast for even their kei enhanced eyes to follow.

But, when they saw Layfon standing tall and proud, his back facing Haia, and saw Haia kneeling, coughing up blood... the result was clear.

Layfon was the winner.

"One of you take Haia and treat his wounds – quickly! If he loses anymore blood, it'll get dangerous!" Layfon's strong voice, full of command which the other members rarely heard unless the situation was serious, rose loudly above the ruckus of cheers from the others.

-x-x-

A pair of eyes turned themselves away from the sight of Layfon ordering the others around, and the owner of them started to walk away, quietly.

The figure reached a house, and went inside, shutting the door behind her.

"Ah, Eko! Welcome back! Did you enjoy your time with Layfon-san?" Eko's mother popped her head out of the kitchen to look at her daughter. Eko smiled at her.

"Yeah!" _Even though he never knew I was there..._ Eko went up to her room, and lay down on her bed. She thought about the fight she had just seen...

_Layfon looked like he was enjoying himself... _Eko smiled at the thought. _I wonder why they were fighting, however...? I'll just ask him tomorrow when he picks me up from school... _And Eko let the matter go.

-x-x-

Several months had passed since Layfon's and Haia's fight – by this time, Layfon had pretty much become a legend in the city. He had defeated Filth Monsters both by himself and with his gang – for some reason that the city didn't understand, they were encountering more monsters than they usually did. This had started even before Layfon and the others came, but it had gotten much more serious for some reason once they got there.

"Layfon Volfstein Alseif," said the City Governor.

"Yes?"

"How much longer do you plan on staying here?"

Layfon thought for a moment. "Not much longer. I need to get back to Grendan before the Queen gets mad at me..."

"Why would she get mad at you?"

"She insists that I come back home every 6 months and stay for at least a week, though she tends to get mad unless I stay longer than that."

"I see... Well, the Roaming Buses aren't ready to be dispatched yet, and I'm afraid I can't let you use your personal buses just yet..." _Oh boy... Here we go again..._ The Governor smiled at Layfon, somewhat slyly, and Layfon raised an eyebrow before smiling politely back.

"I understand, sir – I hope that the buses will be ready soon. Is that all?"

"Yes, that's all."

"Well, then – excuse me." And Layfon walked out the door.

_Here we go again... this happens much more frequently than I'd like. They're delaying the buses... just so that they can make me stay here... _Layfon thought seriously. He let out a tired sigh as he made his way to Eko's school, intending to pick her up.

-x-x-

"What's wrong, Lay-ton?" Eko looked with concern at the man, who was staring off into space and didn't seem to be very happy about – whatever it was he was thinking of.

"Huh? Oh, umm, sorry Eko-chan - I was thinking about what the city governor said to me when I saw him..." Layfon once again got a distracted look on his face. He was worried, that much Eko could tell.

"What did he say?" _Could it have been that bad...?_ Eko questioned herself.

"He said that the roaming buses couldn't leave just yet..."

"But you have your own buses, right? So that shouldn't be a problem..."

"He said that he can't let me take those out at the moment either."

"Hmm? That's odd... I wonder why?"

"This isn't the first time that this has happened, actually..."

"What do you mean?"

"Basically, the governor is delaying the buses because he doesn't want me or the others to leave..." Layfon noticed the sudden look of worry on Eko's face, and he smiled at her reassuringly. "Don't worry - this has happened before, like I said. It should be fairly simple to handle. After all, they have to let the buses go _sometime_, right?"

"I see." Eko's face softened a bit, before she looked away. Then, quietly, she asked, "Where do you plan to go, Lay-ton?"

"Grendan. It's around the time I return there, or the Queen..." Eko saw Layfon sweatdrop at the thought that crossed his mind. _What about the Queen? _Eko thought in mild curiosity.

She looked away again. "Can - can I come with you...?" she asked quietly. Layfon started and looked at her in surprise.

At a loss for what to say, he was surprised at the answer that came from his mouth. "Maybe... that depends on whether your parents want you to..."

Eko looked at him, her eyes filled with sudden hope. "So, if I get permission from my parents, then...?"

Layfon just nodded slightly, and inwardly winced to himself when he saw Eko's overjoyed expression. He knew he was going to regret this... he could just _feel_it.

_Just what have I gotten myself into...? _

-x-x-

"Layfon-san?" Eko's mother, Mrs. Laiten, looked at him. It had been about a week since Eko had asked that question, and Layfon had given his answer. Layfon had been expecting to be confronted by Eko's parents, and from the serious look in Mrs. Laiten's eyes, it seemed the time for the confrontation had come.

"Yes, Mrs. Liten?" Layfon asked, doing his best to be as polite as possible.

"Could you come in for a moment? My husband and I would like to have a talk with you..." Eko looked between her mom and Layfon, before judging that she should probably go up to her room and stay out of this. She did so, and Layfon followed Mrs. Laiten into the living room.

"Layfon-san," Mr. Laiten said, nodding his head to acknowledge him.

"Mr. Laiten." Layfon did the same, before waiting to be offered a seat. Mrs. Laiten gestured towards the couch, and he sat down, looking between the couple as he waited for one of them to start talking.

"We'd like to talk to you about your offer to take Eko with you with our permission." Layfon turned his attention to Mr. Laiten. "That, and we would also like to hear your opinions on your relationship with our daughter."

"Well, first things first," Mrs. Laiten said. Layfon politely turned to her. "Why did you offer to take Eko with you?"

Layfon was silent for a moment as he thought about his answer. He knew that a thoughtful response would be better in this situation than a quick one. _Why did I offer to take her... _The image of the look on Eko's face flashed through his mind. "At the time, I had been worrying about what the city's governor had said to me... so when Eko asked me that question so suddenly, I really didn't know how to react. I'm still not sure myself why I offered such a thing, but... I think it was because... the look on Eko's face... she seemed so depressed. Like I said, the question was sudden, and I wasn't really thinking about what I was saying, so... I don't really know. I apologize for not being able to give a better answer."

Layfon would never know it, but it was the very fact that he couldn't answer this question outright that convinced the two parents before him that it was safe to leave their girl in his hands.

The couple shared a quick smile with each other, coming to a decision; Layfon's answer to the next question would be the deciding factor. Lately, the parents had come to realize how powerless they would be were their daughter to be caught in a Filth Monster attack - it's not surprising that they would be thinking this, considering the increase in attacks on the city, which had come even before Layfon got there. They had thought about it, and decided that it was better for their girl to be with someone who would care for her, and had the ability and desire to protect her, no matter the situation. So, they were glad this opportunity with Layfon had come up; he was their first choice for a possible caretaker.

"That's fine, Layfon-san. What do you consider your relationship with Eko to be?" Mr. Laiten decided to ask the next question.

"...I'm not sure if I understand exactly what you asking. "

"Let me rephrase then; what is Eko to you?" Mrs. Laiten asked him seriously.

"...I consider Eko to be..." he thought for a second, trying to find the right words. "I consider Eko-chan to be... as important as a little sister. I don't love her in a romantic way at all; I'm already in love with someone else. But, to me... Eko is like family."

"Oh? Really?"

"Yes. I grew up in an orphanage. I was always the oldest, so the others looked up to me; we were all like family, and we were able to understand each other well enough to be considered such, even if not by blood."

"I see. So you're used to accepting children, and find it easy to consider them as family."

"Yes, ma'am."

"...I see. Thank you for answering our questions."

"It was nothing."

"We... would like to request something of you." Mr. Laiten looked seriously at Layfon.

"What is it?"

"Would you allow Eko to accompany you on your travels? We feel," the couple looked at each other. "We feel that she would be safest with someone like you, who is capable of and willing to protect her."

Once again, Layfon was very surprised at the answer that came out of his mouth: "...Alright. If you really feel that way, then I won't refuse."

_Damn... I knew I'd regret saying that to Eko..._


	5. IMPORTANT! Please Read!

_**IMPORTANT!**_

I'm really sorry – seriously, what I'm about to tell you next will really ruin your day (it ruined my entire _week)_, so I'm apologizing now.

My computer has completely crashed. Completely. I can't even turn it on anymore. I'm typing this up from my best friend's computer (which isn't really hers, but her family's), so bear with me while I tell you what I'm about to next:

1) **I won't be able to finish my week of daily updates.** Dammit, yeah, I know, this sucks – you think you're upset? Imagine me – I can't type stuff up anymore, so I won't be able to write much either. If you're upset, then I'm utterly depressed and pissed off.

2) **No, I won't be updating during my school year. **I told you this before, and I'm telling you again – I won't be updating during my school year. Even if it's to make up for not finishing my daily updates this week.

3) **You think you're upset? **I lost, like, half of my stories, work, and other things, dammit! Imagine what it's like for me, and how depressed and upset I feel, before you start flaming me, okay?

That's about it – I'm sorry, once again, but I'd appreciate you not flaming me because of this. After all, it isn't my fault – my computer crashed by itself.

Cheers,

Yume-ka


End file.
